PLAYING FIELD OF THE WIND ALACATI
As you speed along the Izmir-Çesme expressway
your eyes are suddenly struck by a vista of modern windmills with
their huge white wings reaching to the sky above. Further along
come some ancient time-worn windmills built of stone with their
naked wooden appendages, and you realize that you have been called
to a land of wind.
If, in addition, you sense the cool, salty fragrance
of the sea then you can be sure that you have arrived at Alaçati.At
Alaçatiyou are confronted with two very trying choices. Either
you join the antics of the windsurfs of every imaginable color riding
the deep blue waters or you delve into the colorful streets flavored
with Anatolian culture under the shade of the time-worn windmills.
It is very likely that the decision will be taken from your hands
by the sun rising steeply in the sky overhead. And then, all of
sudden, you will find you are on the road to Alaçaticove
with its petite boat basin.
Alaçaticove is one of innumerable coves to
be found along the Aegean coastline. However, two very special features
of this cove render it a windsurf’sl heaven.One of these is
the ceaseless wind. The other is the depth of the sea which does
not exceed one and a half metres, and extends as such out as far
as sixty or seventy metres from the shore.
Piri Reis, known in Turkish history for his cartography
and seamanship, writes in his “Kitab-iBahriye” (The
Book of Navigation) that “the sea in the port of Alaçatiis
like a wafer.” And what he meant by that was that the sea
was quite calm. That is, despite all the wind, the height of the
waves in the cove does not rise to a level disturbing to the surfers.The
wind at Alaçatiblows in from the north throughout the summer
months at a velocity of between 15-25 knots. During the windy season
from May to October one may encounter windsurfers from every corner
of the globe here.
There are those who come with their caravans or
tents and spend the whole season as well as those who just stop
over for the competitions. These aficionados of the wind and sea
are accommodated at two schools of surfing on the shore and at the
hotel and pensions located both at the cove and in Alaçatiitself.Alaçaticove
with its depth of less than a metre and a half is a fine learning
environment for novice surfers. It is because of these qualities
that the cove is so desirable both for master and novice surfers.
You will encounter the youthful master surfing here with his young
novice sibling or with his girlfriend. The shallow waters provide
support for the novices, while the blustering summer winds provide
sport for the masters.The cove, in which many national and international
competitions are held, is at the same time a fine locale just for
practice. Bora Kozanoglu, the 1998-1999 Turkish champion, is one
of those who have made a home in Alaçati. You can always
catch him playing sport with the wind and sea or giving pointers
to those who are just learning to surf.
Like the sea and the wind, the narrow streets of
Alaçatiare also filled with surprises. There are the two
storey homes, worldly-wise from long hard years of use, built of
stone and set along both sides of the cobblestone streets... And
then there are the bright faces of people of all ages peering out
of the windows and overhanging bays of the houses...
You witness the cultural richness of the region
in Alaçati’s streets, in its mosque and its antique
shop.Clearly, this cultural richness has its source in Alaçati’s
fascinating history. Until the 16th century the Çesme region
was the international commercial gateway to Anatolia. The Genoese
merchants who settled on the island of Chios abandoned the area
following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1566, and gradually
the Çesme region lost its commercial advantages to Izmir.
During the 1850s Greek laborers were brought in
from nearby islands to fill in the swamps to the south of Alaçatiand
to work in the port. These island Greeks joined in the construction
of Alaçatiand settled there, later engaging in viniculture.Still
later migrants from Yugoslavia and Macedonia made Alaçatitheir
home, but war forced them to move into the interior of Anatolia.
They returned after the Turkish War of Liberation in the early 1920s,
and then they were joined by migrants from Thessaloniki, Crete and
Kos who introduced tobacco farming to the region.
It is possible to observe the traces of these historical
ebbs and tides in Alaçatitoday. The mosque in the marketplace,
the homes of stone with their bay windows, and the windmills, all
bear witness to this inescapable social and cultural flux. The history
of the region has transformed the place into a world of forsaken
dreams and emerging hope.
Today anisette, olives, onions and artichokes are
grown in the fertile soil of Alaçati. The region is also
a star tourism spot. So much so, that its winter population of eight
thousand climbs to fifty thousand in summer.The municipality of
Alaçatiorganizes an International Youth and Children’s
Theatre Festival every year.Alaçatiis munificent to those
who partake of the wind and sea as well to those who wish to have
an Anatolian experience, and this is a place you are sure to take
great pleasure in getting to know.
By Saner GULSOKEN
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